Purpose@#This study examined the
effectiveness of
tranexamic acid in reducing
postoperative blood loss in
total knee arthroplasty by comparing the
methods of
administration between an intravenous group, topical group, and non-
tranexamic acid group. @*Materials and
Methods@#This was a retrospective case series study of
patients who underwent primary
total knee arthroplasty from March 2017 to February 2019 performed by a single surgeon. The study
population was divided into three groups according to the
method of
tranexamic acid administration (Group I intravenous group, Group II topical group, Group III non-
tranexamic acid group). To evaluate the
effectiveness of tranexamic
acids, the total amount of
postoperative blood loss, postoperative
hemoglobin loss, and volume of
red blood cell transfusion in the three groups were compared. @*Results@#The total amount of
postoperative blood loss was lower in the
tranexamic acid administered group than in the non-
tranexamic acid group (1,366±866 ml). Among the
administration methods, the intravenous group (987±449 ml) was significantly lower than the topical group (1,136±339 ml) (p=0.004). Postoperative
hemoglobin loss was lower in the
tranexamic acid group than the non-
tranexamic acid group.Among the
administration methods, the intravenous group was lower than the topical group. The transfusion rate was higher in the nontranexamic
acid group (5.7%) than the tranexamic administered group. The transfusion rate of the intravenous group was 1.4%, and no
patient required a transfusion postoperatively in the topical group. The number of postoperative thromboembolic events, as a complication of
tranexamic acid, was
similar in the three groups. @*Conclusion@#
Tranexamic acid was effective in reducing
postoperative blood loss after primary
total knee arthroplasty compared to the nontranexamic
acid administered group. No significant difference in the
complications induced by
tranexamic acid was observed among the three groups.